Zayn Malik explains why he does not think he was ever in love with ex Gigi Hadid: ‘I have the utmost respect for her’

One Direction alum Zayn Malik got candid about his relationship with ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid. They welcomed their daughter, Khai, in September 2020.

Zayn Malik has reflected on his relationship with his ex, Gigi Hadid. The pair, who dated for nearly six years before parting ways, share custody of their daughter Khai. Though their relationship was frequently under public scrutiny, particularly toward its end, they have maintained privacy about it. The singer was on the new episode of Call Her Daddy where he opened up about his relationship and said that his idea of love is always developing. (Also read: Did Zayn Malik take a dig at Harry Styles over exorbitant ticket prices? Shocked fans react: ‘This is messy’)

Zayn Malik talked about Gigi Hadid and opened up about his idea of love.

What did Zayn say?

During the interaction, when Zayn was asked about a previous statement where he said he did not know whether he was truly in love, he said, "Yeah, because my understanding of love is always developing. At that moment in time, I might have thought it was love, but as I’ve got older, I’ve realized maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was lust. Maybe it was this. Maybe it was that. I don’t feel like it was love.”

He added, “And to be fair, just to say this on record, I will always love G [Gigi] because she’s the reason my child is on this earth. And I have the utmost respect for her. I will always love her. But I don’t know if I was ever in love with her. Because even when I said it, I think people took it a type of way. So I’m just like, ‘Yo, I have so much respect for this woman, and I do love her, a crazy amount.’ But yeah, no, but I don’t think I was in love with her at that point. Otherwise, I would have been a better version of myself.”

About their relationship

Zayn and Gigi dated for about six years — and welcomed Khai in September 2020 — before calling it quits in 2021. They decided to keep co-parenting Khai. During Khai's birthday in 2024, Zayn had penned a heartfelt note for her on Instagram.

It read, “Happy birthday to the most important person in my life, I love you more than words allow me to express, beyond proud to call you my daughter.. grateful for every second I get to spend next to you, as you become the incredible person I know you already are. Four years ago today my life changed forever and I wouldn’t be the man I am today without you.”